Multia
by The Sweeping Channel
Summary: November. A new mutant joins the Institute in hopes of bringing down the X-Men. But when she falls for a certain teleporter, will she be able to stay on track, all the while keeping Gambit and Magneto out of her hair?
1. Prologue

**_This is the very first time that I am writing a Fanfic that is something other than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Basically a drama about a mutant that's been tortured most of her lie being brought out into the real world and discovering herself, her purpose in life, and her sexuality. It's serious t times, and funny, too, like most things in life. Enjoy and review!_********prologue: from darkness to light**

* * *

I awoke to the usual sounds of clicking and whirring that surrounded me. However, as accustomed as I had grown to the high-tech atmosphere in the observatory, these sounds seemed strangely foreign. The air in my nostrils was too sterile to be that of my cell. It reeked of disinfectant and chrome. I found that the white expanse that greeted my eyes was the ceiling, and that I was lying on what looked like a silver operating table. My wrists and ankles were cuffed together at the top and the bottom. The material on my skin was not my usual itchy cotton substitute dress that all of the other mutant females had to wear. It was thin and light, like the paper dress that I had gotten when I was rushed to the emergency room at the age of three. I had broken my leg. Now, a broken leg was like a busted lip; no one cared.

I lifted my head to the best of my ability and looked around. This room was bigger than the exam rooms that I was usually forced to go to whenever I got into trouble. This time, I had ambushed a guard and stolen his keys. My main goal was to release the less dangerous of us to create a distraction, while I escaped and went out for help. They were all skeptical of my plan, mostly due to the fact that I had never seen the outside of the observatory. From the inside, it just looked like a huge metal dome with many rooms. It was sad, really, that I hadn't seen the sun for a little over ten years. My parents had given me up to the government after they had come to the realization that I had somehow been infused with the X gene. Now, I was here, and it was hell.

We did have daily routines, however horrible they were. Mine was no different than that of most others. Breakfast was at 7:30 am. After that, we had a group shower and got dressed. Then, the rookie training began. It was probably the worst part of the day. The scientists that were in charge of making new anti-mutant weaponry used us as test-bunnies in their experiments. True, it kept us lean and in touch, but it was especially bad for mutants like me, who had no idea what their powers even were. I knew that I could make people see things that weren't there, but I had overheard Dr. Miranda, the woman in charge of my "well-being", saying that I had more than just one power. Whatever it was, it made sure that I wasn't allowed to touch anyone unless I was knocked out or drugged, which had been happening much more frequently recently. Even now, I could feel the effects of the chloroform wearing down.

After the running and hiding from the hail of electromagnetic bullets, we had lunch (usually some formless gruel that tasted like plastic), and then the older mutants were taken to the lab to be analyzed. I had no idea what that was, but I knew that it required them to be placed under anesthesia. I had never been taken to an exam room unless I was in trouble.

This obviously wasn't the first time that I was in this situation. I had acquired the reputation as quite the pest over the time that I had been here. I had just never given up on trying to escape. Suddenly, I felt the tell-tale tingling on my lips that meant that I was about to receive an electric shock. An immense pulse of electricity shot through my body. I screamed in agony as the fire ripped through my arteries. It numbed my limbs, but only for a moment.

"Oh goody! You're awake!" a voice said happily. I coughed loudly.

"Hm… loud, raspy coughing…" the man mumbled. I heard the sound of scribbling as he wrote it down. I couldn't see who it was, but it sounded like he was behind me. A signal rung out and I realized that he had just pushed a button.

"Warning." a mechanical voice droned. "The table is rotating. Please clear the vicinity."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and just turn her already." the man said, obviously annoyed. The metal disk beneath me came to life and I was spun around and raised into the face of a middle-aged man of about forty.

"Wh-who are you?" I mumbled, my voice slurred from the drugs. "Where's Dr. Miranda?"

"Dr. Miranda is busy. I am Dr. Hellon."

I gasped. Was this man really Dr. Hellon, the man in charge of the entire Anti-Mutant Purification project?? He smiled, his perfect white teeth glinting on the bright fluorescent light.

"So you've heard of me, yes?" he asked pleasantly.

"Yeah, in my nightmares!" I spat. The doctor tsk-tsked with his tongue and reached into his lab coat. He pulled out a small silver remote with a touch screen dial on it. The arrow of the dial pointed to an area that was illuminated yellow by some internal light. A small blue circle glowed brightly towards the top of the remote. He placed his hand over the dial, using his perfectly manicured index finger to slowly move it up. Each time the voltage increased by one unit, I heard a quiet, yet sharp click, and my lips tingled in warning. The area that the dial pointed to was now a mockingly lovely shade of orange. In one quick motion, Dr. Hellon's finger was on the blue area, and I heard the manacles preparing to send their vicious pulses into me. In a matter of seconds, the electricity ran hot in my blood yet again. I tore at my fetters once more, my vision white with pain, begging him to stop, cursing obscenely in every language that I had been taught to curse in. He lifted his finger from the blue.

"You are a very discourteous child, Violetta." he said, frowning. "We will have to fix that."

"Well, maybe if you would treat us like human beings, we wouldn't – _AAAARRRRGHHH!!!_" Dr. Hellon removed his finger from the virtual button once more, calmly absorbing my cries.

"But you aren't human. No human could take seven hundred and fifty mass units of electricity and still be capable of coherent thought, especially not at sixteen, when the brain has just finished developing fully. You are a mutant, and mutants don't have rights. At least, they don't where I come from."

"And where would _that_ be?" I scoffed. My snide comment made him push the dial up to an area clearly marked red.

"Don't you just love it?" he asked. It took me a moment to realize that he was talking to me. "It's hover sensor technology. Whenever something is close enough for the sensors to detect warmth, they react to the command that is programmed in them. In this case, the command is to… keep you in check. Too bad that I cannot shock you at this degree, for it would be incredibly harmful to your memory. You are much too youthful. Perhaps in a few years, I will be able to." He placed the abhorrent thing on one of the many metal-plated countertops, replacing it with an off-white folder that had my name on the secretarial tab. He thumbed through it briefly.

"Enough about me then, child. Let us talk about you. Violetta Turncoat, correct? You were unearthed in Nankillus, Missouri when you were six years old–"

"Unearthed?" I snapped. "You make me sound like an archeological formation or something!"

Dr. Hellon glared at me and reached over to where the remote was lying on the table. I closed my eyes, cursing my sharp tongue. This was the end. My memories would be gone, my skin would be burned off, my head would explode… the possibilities were endless.

"Doctor!" a voice shouted suddenly. A loud piercing wail went off, and I realized that someone had turned on the alarm. Startled, the doctor dropped the remote onto the cold floor. My head snapped up to see my savior. I must admit that I was slightly disenchanted to see that it was an ordinary warden, the kind that I came in contact with every day.

"How many times have I told you not to bother me when I am working? _Especially_ not when I am busy with a mutant! What concern of mine is it that another one of those freaks is breaking out?" Dr. Hellon shouted.

"That's just the thing Sir! No one is breaking out… actually, someone is breaking _in_."

"What?!? Impossible!! This entire place is made of metal!" he retorted dubiously.

"It's a mutant, and I've been ordered to bring you to an evacuation vehicle!" the guard persisted.

"And what about the girl?" the doctor asked.

"This entire place is about to collapse! If we leave her, she'll be the only casualty." he answered. Dr. Hellon looked at my frightened face. They weren't going to leave me to die, were they? That would be inhumane. Then again, they weren't human. After much hesitation, the doctor finally agreed.

"NO!!!!" I screamed as he shut the door, the ominous hum of the electromagnetic lock sealing my doom. A thunderous boom rattled the ceiling above me. I struggled madly against the manacles. It felt like there was an earthquake around me.

"Help!!" I screamed as the roof caved in ahead of me, sending four tons of debris crashing to the floor only inches away from me. The light clattered to the floor, and the electric current met the chemicals that had spilled in the process. I watched in horror as the fire grew, feeding off of the oxygen in the small room. I looked at the remote on the floor. If it got too close to the fire, then I would be in dire straits. I thrashed madly, trying to escape if it meant ripping my arms off. But it didn't work. The flames were coming closer… closer…

I screamed so loudly that it drowned out all other sounds. I could feel nothing but the pain meeting in the center of my body. I no longer cared about the flames that licked at my feet, or about the walls steadily caving in around me. I didn't see anything but the blue twinkles of voltage that danced across my eyes. My words were becoming slurred as the diabolical device fried my brain, virtually eliminating my motor skills.

Suddenly, the heavy metal door was flung against the wall next to me. I didn't care about how this was possible.

"Remote!" I yelled. "_**REMOTE!!!!!**_" I watched the dim, pulsing blue light shatter into a thousand pieces. My vision swum for a moment, but I was able to make out a muddy figure stepping out of the haze. I coughed, the smoke filling my lungs, but I had to breathe. I was unable to during the time that I was being electrocuted. My wispy gown was smoking, but it wasn't aflame. The debris that had showered over me during the first time that the roof had caved in had torn many holes into my clothing, but I was not utterly exposed. A sharp pain went through my head, and I realized that I had fallen to the floor.

Two strong hands grasped me and picked me up. Against my better judgment, I put my arms around the neck of my liberator and pushed myself onto his cool, metal armor. I could not see him through his helmet, so I diverted my gaze to the chaos around me. Mutants that I had never seen before were slashing and growling and destroying the entire observatory.

"I've got her! She's the only one! Let's get out of here before we all get killed!" my mysterious rescuer shouted. I was fading in and out of consciousness, but I still remembered the feel of cool air around me, and the brush of silky seats as I was placed in some kind of vehicle that I later recognized as a helicopter. The man stood over me.

"My dear, what is your name?" he asked gently. His voice reminded me of my father, whom I had not seen since I had been brought here.

"V-Violetta…" I whispered.

"How old are you, child?" he asked.

"Sixteen." I answered, although I was doubtful that he could hear me. "Who are you?" I rasped, my lungs now recovering from the burning smoke. I felt a prick in my arm, and realized that I was being attached to some kind of a device.

"I am Magneto…" the faded voice answered, before everything went black.


	2. visitor

**chapter one: visitor**

_One month later…_

"Is there really nothing that I can do to make you stay, Violetta?" Erik asked. I stared fondly upon the face of the man that had been like a father to me since he had rescued me from the observatory.

"I wish I could, Erik, but I want to see what it is like in the world outside of this place! You know that I must." I answered, stepping into the car. "Thank you for everything you have ever done for me. I am everlastingly grateful. If there is ever anything that I could do –"

"Hush child." he said, cutting me off. "Go out into the world, but don't forget. You are a mutant, even if you don't know what your powers are. There are people out there that will –"

"I know." I said.

"Then I have taught you well." he said, endearingly stroking my cheek. "I am sad. You remind me so much of my daughter, Wanda. You are just as headstrong as she once was."

"You never told me what happened to her." I commented. Erik sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I – I sent her away, to… manage her anger. She was a danger to herself and to everyone else. But I assure you that she didn't have to go through what you did. Unlike you parents, I sent her away to protect her life and not to protect mine." he replied. I nodded as the doors closed.

And so began the three hour journey to my new life in the city. I dozed off at some point, and awoke just as the car drove into the parking lot of my apartment building. I walked inside, twirling my key around my finger. It was Sunday evening, and I had already been registered for a school in the area for the next day. I got out of the elevator, opened my door and stepped inside.

It was perfect.

Erik had gone to the greatest lengths to furnish my apartment the way that I liked it, namely wide, open spaces and lots of light and greenery. The windows in what I guessed to be the living room faced the setting sun, so the hardwood floors were illuminated with brilliant oranges and reds. Most everything in this apartment was made of pinewood, lightweight and cheerful. I felt so happy that I laughed. I walked into what seemed to be the bedroom. My clothes and such were already neatly organized in the dresser that I had had in my old room.

I plopped down onto my comfy bed and let down my hair.

The thing about my hair was this.

I hadn't cut it since I had been a little girl. Not even those idiots at the observatory had been able to bring themselves to cut it off. Now, it went up to the back of my knees. It was wavy and black… and heavy. There wasn't a hair comb in the world that could hold it up. I had tried everything but steel clips when I had been with Erik. I usually had it up in some variation of a bun, but on special occasions, I let it down and pulled it back with a hair ring. Of course, I accessorized it at times, like now I had put red and orange streaks into it, adding a fiery flair, or I curled it a bit, or put it into a ponytail, adding clips and whatever. But I had never had it professionally done. I had to get up early to brush it, since it took me almost half an hour every morning, but by the time it was finished, it looked like a black curtain.

I laughed at the thought of my hair being a curtain. There was a knock on my door. I laughed even louder. I was in the house for two minutes, and there was already someone at the door. I opened it and gasped.

"Gambit." I hissed, my cheerful mood dampened. "Of all the people, must you bother me now? What do you want from me? Didn't you bother me enough when I was still at home?"

Remy raised his hands defensively. He pushed past me rudely and I closed the door. I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned to one side.

Remy and I were what you would call the Demetrius and Helena of the modern day. Or rather… the Demetria and the Helenus. Except for the fact that there was no love potion or fairy interference in the world that would make me adore him… ever. No matter how many times I told him to leave me be, he would always come back.

"Well?" I asked, still angry that he dared to intrude on my private sphere. "Now that there's no more Magneto to protect me, you decide to come and hound me for my affection? Don't you have anything better to do than to follow me around like a lost puppy?"

It was getting dark outside and the headlights of the cars moved past the windows. Of course I had asked to be near a street with many people. I loved people!

"No need to get so defensive, _mon chéri._ I just want to welcome you to your new home." he said.

"I am _not _your _chéri_, and I never will be. Now, get out." I snapped.

"Very well. But I came here to warn you. The streets are dangerous, especially for pretty girls like you. Be careful. I would hate for anything to happen to you. And, if anything _were_ to happen, I would hope that you come to _me_ before Magneto. He does have a tendency to overreact in situations like these, _chéri_."

"If I say that I promise, will you leave me alone?" I asked. He nodded after a moment of hesitation. He opened the window to the fire escape.

"Fine, then I promise." I said. He darted out into the darkness. I slammed the window angrily.

"Mon chéri my ass, Remy. Mon chéri my _ass_!"

I was angry!! Why? Well, mostly because his presence meant that he had been spying on me! And he probably wasn't the only one. Suddenly, my apartment no longer felt safe. Even though the window was closed, Remy's scent remained, burning my nose and freezing my skin.

* * *

**Yes, he loves her (isn't it obvious?) in a way that she has yet to understand. But I suggest to proceed with caution...**

**~Sweep**


	3. recruit

**Yes, so maybe I haven't been so faithful with the updating thing, but LET ME ASSURE YOU, there will be no such mishaps in the future. The thing is that my computer is being an ass and refusung to turn on cuz the harddrive is shot and it can't access the information to boot up. So basically, I'm screwed until the IT guy comes to visit. In any case, I managaed to backup the most important files onto a floppy (yes, those things still exist), and I am currently updating from a friend's house. So thanks for your understanding, and enjoy the read!**

**chapter 3: recruit**

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I dreaded going to school on Friday. What if Violet Eyes was there again? What if she confronted me? I didn't want to hurt her. Then again, if she unleashed her damn darkness thing, I was done for. I had been telling myself this the entire week. Of course, a confrontation never happened, but I always caught Miss Blindness staring at me when I ate together with everyone else. I was starting to get really suspicious. Was she stalking us?

I pulled my coat closer as the cold wind bit at my face. I had decided to walk instead of taking the school bus with everyone else. I needed some time to think. As the designated leader of the X-men, I had certain responsibilities, and these responsibilities were of the utmost –

"Scott!" a voice called loudly, interrupting my train of thought. I looked up and stopped. It was Violet Eyes. I just stood there. What else could I do? Ignore her? Walk away? Pretend I didn't hear her and make up a distraction as an excuse not to look at her? She was making no move towards me. She had probably been waiting for a while.

Her hair was down.

I had never seen her like that before, and it amazed me that the wind wasn't tossing it around like a rag doll. Her hair must've been really heavy. It went down to her knees and was cut in a slant at the bottom. She smiled and waved when she caught me looking at her. I waved back hesitantly. Why was she being so friendly? After all, the Prof was right. I had ordered to attack her. She must've known that.

I walked up to the door of the school where she was leaning against the wall with her books in her arms and a bag over her shoulder.

"Hi, Scott." she said softly, looking at her feet nervously. This was starting to sound like a date request. I could just imagine her turning red and asking me out on a date. Then I'd have to tell her that I was going out with Jean and that I couldn't. But I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be that simple.

"Hi…" I said suspiciously. Maybe she was going to attack me or something. I was early, so there was no one around to help me if she did. But I didn't see any black vortexes, so I figured I was safe. That is, unless she was masking them somehow….

"Um… what's up?" Violet Eyes asked.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" I asked.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize. For attacking your friends." she said. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Well… uh…" I stammered, remembering that it was actually _us_ that had attacked _her_.

"I panicked." she continued. "I thought that you guys had wanted to hurt me. I didn't think that you guys were just trying to fit in, like me, and protect your friends. Then again, us mutants… we have to stick together, don't we? We have to find a way to stay hidden… together."

"Well… I guess if you put it that way, you're right." I answered. "So… what are you suggesting?"

She put out her hand. "Truce?" she asked. I nodded, taking it.

"Truce. Now… can we go inside? It's cold." She smiled.

"Of course." she answered. "I'm cold, too."

I held the door open for her and she walked inside, her long hair swishing behind her.

"Say, Violet Eyes… how come your hair is so long?" I asked. She stopped and looked at me.

"Did you just call me… Violet Eyes?" she asked, her eyebrows rising in amusement. I rubbed my head sheepishly. Now _I_ was starting to look like an idiot.

"Uh… yeah. I never really got your name." I admitted. She smiled.

"That's okay. I like Violet Eyes. It's pretty, and it's close to my real name, too."

"Then I'll just call you Violet, okay?" I said. She nodded.

"Violet's cool."

Silence. We walked up the stairs to our lockers. I opened mine, the old hinges creaking loudly. I heard the click as Violet's locker opened, too. It was three down from mine, on the other side of the hall. No one was in the school but us.

"Scott, I have to ask you something."

_Already?_ I thought. "Uh, sure. What's up?"

"How did you… you know, learn to deal with it?" she asked. My locker slammed shut abruptly in front of me. Jean was here, and she was listening.

_Don't tell her. We don't know her well enough yet. Maybe we should get to know her before we take any chances_ Jean said.

_But the Prof said that she was supposed to come with us! What if she's confused? We should help her before something happens and we have to explain to the Prof why she blew up! You talk about taking chances, but I think that by denying her the truth, we're taking the biggest chance yet _I argued.

"If… if you don't want to answer, that's okay. I have some studying to do anyways." Violet said, and I realized that my conversation with Jean had made her think that I had chosen to remain silent.

"Wait!" I said, on impulse. She turned around and looked at me expectantly.

"There's… um… this place. Me and a bunch of my friends… I think you met them… we all live there. We learn to use our powers, in a good way. Maybe I could tell the Professor to stop by after school."

"Professor? You mean… it's like a school? Where you live?" she asked. I nodded diffidently, not knowing what I had just delved into.

"Oh… well… maybe. On the off chance that he does… stop by, do you think that maybe… he could help me to figure out what my powers are?" she asked timidly. I blinked. A mutant who didn't know what her powers were? I didn't know if Professor X could do something like that. I shrugged.

"Maybe." I answered, just as the other students began to mill in. She nodded, turned and closed her locker, following the crowd. I saw Jean staring at me angrily and walked over to her.

"Now look at what you've done! Who knows what she's like?" she hissed.

"Relax." I said. "She doesn't even know the full extent of her powers, let alone how to use them."

"Yeah, like that stupid trick that she pulled on us back there in the hall wasn't enough." she answered bitterly, just as the bell rang for first period. She sashayed away pompously. I slung my bag over my shoulder angrily. I was the leader here, and so help me if I wasn't allowed to make the decisions!

"Hey, Scott!" I yelled, waving at him. He smiled, carefully balancing his lunch and his English textbook in his left hand, and his bookbag in his right. He walked over slowly, careful not to drop anything.

"Hey, Kurt. What have you been up to? I haven't seen you all week," I said. "and you've been totally distracted during training."

"I have been plotting." I answered.

"Plotting?" Scott asked, raising his eyebrows. "You?"

"What? A guy can't try to win a girl over?" I asked, grinning. Scott shook his head.

"Dude, when are you going to get it in your head that _India_ _isn't interested in you_?"

"What are you talking about? She's totally digging me!" I said, pouting.

"Well, _I_ think that she's just being nice." Amara replied, sitting down next to me. "She's only the nicest girl in all of everywhere. Who knows what she really thinks about you? For all you know, you could be the weirdest person in the world to her. She'll never tell you herself."

"How about this? You guys are all nuts." Jean answered, taking her usual place next to Scott. But she seemed distant, right from the start. Amara noticed, too. She gave me a questioning look, but I shrugged.

"Hey, guys!" Spyke called. Him and Kitty were about to join us. They sat down just as I spied Violetta alone at a table to our left.

"Check out our rogue mutant." Spyke commented from next to Jean.

"No way. I am _not _falling for that again. I know for a fact that Rogue is in the Gym." Amara said without looking up from her lunch.

"Not her! I mean Blinders over there." he replied.

"Oh." Amara replied quietly, reliving our humiliating defeat. But Violetta had totally caught us off guard. We had expected anything: fire breath, laser eyes, something tangible. But not something that we couldn't control, something that affected our minds. It was scary, I'll admit, not being able to see. We all kinda… we were shocked, I guess. And not only did it take away your sight, but it took away your control, too. It stole any sense of restraint, reverting you to your must natural instinct.

When I was blinded, my instinct told me to run, so I did, and it hadn't even felt like I was moving. Amara said that whenever she was in trouble, she automatically curled up into a ball on the floor and stayed that way until it was all over. Spyke had said that when he was little, he used to just start beating his arms around him whenever he thought that he was being attacked. Yet, neither of them felt like anything was happening. They could just hear what was going on around them, and that was pretty much it.

"Hey, Scott. Did you ever talk to her?" I asked.

He nodded, looking at Jean sadly. "Just this morning."

"What did she say?"

"Truce. She wants to make peace. And I kinda… told her about the Institute."

"You what?" I shrieked.

"It's okay, it's okay! She doesn't know anything about it except for the fact that it exists and that we all go there. She doesn't know where it is, what we do there…"

"Well that's a relief!" Jean yelled sarcastically, throwing her pencil down onto her essay. "What were you thinking? She could be dangerous, Scott! For all we know, she could be working with Magneto! She could have a master plan to kill us all! Sometimes I wonder why the Professor trusts you with this kind of stuff! It's clear that you are totally fickle-minded and that you don't think about what's important for _us! _For _us_, Scott. Not for _you_!"

"Well, gee, Jean. Why don't you just go ahead and take the job if you're so good at it? Since you clearly think that I am totally incompetent in everything that I do, I guess I'll just _quit_!" he screamed back. They glared at each other menacingly before Jean got up in a huff. Scott stood up and grabbed his bag. They stomped off in opposite directions.

"Did… did they just…" I stammered

"…have a…" Amara continued.

"…fight?" Kitty finished in awe. We looked at each other in silence. Those two _never_ had a fight! They were always lovey-dovey-kissy-poo all the time!

"What just happened?" Spyke asked. I shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

"I think… they just…" Amara stuttered.

"Hi guys!" a voice called cheerfully. I turned. Violetta! What on earth was she doing here? I rubbed my eyes, but they were telling the truth. She was waving to us and walking over! What happened to the attack? She was acting as if it never existed in the first place! Then again, Scott had said that he had made truce with her. Maybe this was her attempt at patching it up with the rest of us. But… the fact that she was just waltzing over to us like some kind of a German ballroom dancer made me blink. This day was just full of surprises!

"Uh… hi, Violetta." I said, looking at everyone else. Violetta smiled happily.

"I'm glad you remembered my name, but I've decided to shorten it to Violet. It's prettier than just _Violetta_." she said, speaking her name like it was some kind of a disgusting drink. I turned around. Everyone was staring at her like she had just grown a second head. Apparently, she noticed, too.

"Umm…" she mumbled, playing with a strand of her hair. Her eyes were glowing pink (a color that I later realized meant mortification). "I actually came over here to apologize… for the other day? I kinda panicked. Are you still mad? I hope not, since I really hate it when people are mad at me… for any reason."

No one answered. Not even I could bring myself to say anything. Violet turned red as a beet.

"Well, I guess… I guess I'll just go now. See you around… maybe? Bye!" she said quickly, picking up her bag from where she had put it on the ground. She hurried off in the direction of the school building. I looked down onto the floor and noticed something shiny on the ground. I picked it up. It was a necklace with a silver chain. The pendant was a small purple stone that Kitty identified as an opal, in the shape of an upside-down triangle. I knew right away that the necklace had to belong to Violet. Not only was the color perfect, but the milky swirls in the stone reminded me of the way that her eyes shimmered when she was content.

"Wait!" I said, but it was too late. Violet was gone.

_From Violetta's Journal_

Dear Diary,

Okay, so today was officially a total bust. Well… maybe not a total bust… so, I managed to make peace with the leader of the X-men, Scott Summers. However, I'm not so sure that he trusts me completely. As for the rest of them…they're not as warmed up to me as Erik would've wanted. He already says that I take too long, and that I should've joined with the institute already. But I told him that everything takes time. I'm not going to rush this operation. If everything is to go smoothly, then I should be able to take all the time that I want, right?

I seem to be missing my necklace. I don't know where it is. I hope I find it again soon. It's the only thing I have left of my life before the observatory. I managed to hide it from those stupid wardens when they searched me before admittance. Oh well. I have this bad feeling that I may have dropped it at the lunch table. Either that or I left it in my gym locker. Yeah, that's probably where it is.

Another thing that Erik warned me about was this thing called "sex". I always thought that it meant gender, but now I'm starting to suspect that it means a lot more. He said that I'm old enough now to know that there was a reason to why boys and girls were different. He said that if there was anyone that I thought was better than everyone else, more attractive or nicer, that I should tell him without delay. He said that I would be faced with it every day, in almost everything that I did, and during almost every conversation that I had with most anyone. He said that it was a bad thing, and that it affected your mind. I think he's crazy. Whatever sex is, I'm sure that he's overreacting. It can't possibly be that ubiquitous. And, if everyone is talking about it and doing it, then it can't possibly be that bad, right?

I'm starting to think that he's a bit cuckoo. Every time I talk to him, he calls me things like "my Violetta" and "my darling". He uses a lot of my's, like I'm his property or something. Oh, and he keeps telling me to stay away from Remy. C'mon! Tell me something I don't know. But I think he's jealous of the fact that Remy has come to visit every night since I moved in. Obviously, Erik knows that Remy is weirdly attracted to me, but all of this attention begs the question… does Erik feel that attraction, too?

- Violetta

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**Aww, poor naive child! (To think she's sixteen and still has a diary...) Oh, and by the way, the necklace is gonna prove to come in handy at one point (think Kida in the Atlantis Disney movie, when it starts glowing and floating in midair and stuff). Anyways, since I am infamous for killing off all my OCs, let me assure you that Violetta doesn't die, atleast... not fully (tee hee hee...)**

***sigh***

**Alright, you all know what I'm about to say...**

**REVIEW!**


	4. eyes

**Alright! Here is the moment you have all been waiting for! Yes, so Violet and Remy do hook up (kinda), eventhough things get a little rocky towards the end. Bear with me while I attempt to explain Violetta's eye situation. If you want to know RIGHT NOW please scroll all the way to the bottom, although I would advise you to read the middle on your way there^^. Enjoy!**

**chapter 4: eyes**

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"_Kurt! Are you ready?" the professor asked. His pupil nodded and got into the vehicle. They sped down the streets, past the industrial part of town and past the shopping district. Finally, they arrived at an apartment building. The first impression that Kurt got was that he had arrived at a hotel. The fountain in the lobby with the goldfish was a sight to behold, as was the marble flooring and columns. He expressed his wonder to his teacher, who simply nodded and continued on. How could anyone afford this? Maybe her parents were wealthy people. They rode the elevator up to the second floor. Three doors lined the ruby carpeted hallway. Kurt followed the professor to the center one and knocked three times. Only a few moments passed and Violetta answered the door._

"So… you really think that I'm worth your time?" I asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. "I mean… the students that you usually deal with… they already know what they can do. I don't. I know a few things, but not all of them."

"Tell me, Violet, how is it that you know about having multiple powers?" the wheelchair-bound professor asked. I thought quickly.

"Well… after my parents sent me to this… place in Saudi Arabia, at least… I _think _itwasinSaudiArabia," I answered, remembering the vast desert expanse that greeted me when Erik rescued me from the Observatory, "I overheard two… _teachers_ talking about how this whole… _making people see things that aren't real_ slash_ blinding them so that they see nothing at all_ thing was only one of multiple powers that I had."

"I see…" the professor mumbled, lost in thought. I looked over at Kurt. He smiled at me benevolently. Suddenly, this bizarre feeling began to come over me. My stomach felt like it was doing back flips, and I could feel my face getting unusually hot. Was I sick? I had felt fine only moments before Kurt had smiled at me. Whatever it was, it had made me unusually perceptive. I noticed the way Kurt's mouth crinkled a little at the corners when he laughed or smiled, and the way that his eyebrows arched up when he agreed with either of us, or the way that his tail flicked around nervously whenever I looked at him…

What was I _doing?_ Was I going crazy? Since when did I notice these things? This was so creepy! I looked away from him nervously, trying to calm down. What the hell was he doing with me? Was this his power, messing with my head? All he did was smile at me! How was that so bad? There was really only one thing that I could do, and that was to smile back. So I did. It was a bit tight-lipped, but it was nonetheless a smile.

"Violet, I think that it would be nice if you came with us to the institute." the professor interrupted. I looked at him.

"What about my apartment?" I asked, attempting to still my beating heart. The edges of my vision had taken on a pink hue, so I knew that I was totally embarrassed. Stupid Kurt!

"I have already considered that. Knowing that you have unknown powers, powers that may well be harmful if not controlled, I am asking you to live in the institute with everyone else, until I have determined whether or not it is safe for you to live on your own again. Of course, I won't do anything unless you consent to it."

I pretended to think about it. Of course, there was no question. I _had_ to move in there. Anything less would jeopardize the mission. If I infiltrated the institute, there would be nothing to stop Erik from attacking. I would know everything, from the codes to their Deafcon 4, as Erik had called it, to where the weak points in the architecture were.

"Perhaps… perhaps I will." I said. "You're right, Professor. I wouldn't want to access my potentially dangerous powers in a fit of anger, only to hurt innocent people. I think I will come with you so that I can learn to use them for something that isn't just destroying stuff."

"I'm so glad that you see things my way." the professor said, smiling. He turned to Kurt.

"Come, Kurt. Let's go."

I went over and held the door open for them.

"When can I expect you again?" I asked. Kurt looked at me, and my stomach began to act weird again.

"I can come and pick you up tomorrow around four in the afternoon. Do you think you'll be packed by then?" he asked.

"Um… uh… sure, I guess." I stammered. What the hell was going on? Why was I acting like such a dumbass? Since when did I have a problem speaking? I waved to them and closed the door.

"Magneto isn't going to be happy, _chéri_." Remy commented from my fire escape.

"Why?" I asked. I was used to him sneaking in by now. He began to play with his cards, flipping them from one hand to another like a magician.

"Because his pride and joy, his little Violetta, is fawning after another." he answered. Everything blurred yellow as my eyes matched my confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, small crimson dots flashing across everything as I grew angrier. Something about Remy's arrogant tone always made me want to slap him across the face.

"Of course, the little girl has no idea what love is because she was locked up in an upside down metal bowl for eleven years."

"Ten and a half." I hissed, the yellow now completely gone. I was, in the most literal sense, seeing red.

"Oh, sorry. But Remy was close, no? Give him some credit. Anyway, _chéri_, as I was saying, that boy was all over you, and, towards the end, you weren't so distant either. You were red as a summer rose."

"How poetic." I said sarcastically. I wasn't angry any more, just annoyed.

"My, that's a lovely shade of gray you're turning. It's so… icy." Remy said, staring at my eyes.

"Maybe that's because I think you're a total idiot." I answered. A black line pulsed over everything, gone in a flash.

"So heartless. At times I do wonder why it is that I love you so much, _chéri._" he replied. He stood up and climbed through the open window, walking over to me and backing me up against the wall. I was terrified, yet, at the same time, I felt wonderful. I reached out to smack his face, but he caught my hand before I could hit him.

"Maybe it's because you're so passionate about everything." he mumbled, tracing his hand down my arm ever so gently. I don't know why, but I let him. I inhaled his scent slowly, drinking it in.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly. "What is this?"

"Why don't you stop asking so many questions and just trust me, _chéri_?" he asked. This time, I didn't complain when he called me his dear. For once in my life, I actually felt… loved. I felt like someone wanted me, in more ways than just one. Yet somehow, it felt wrong. I pushed Remy away.

"This is wrong, Remy." I said, I'll admit, a bit sadly. Remy wasn't exactly my choice, but he was better than nothing.

"Why, _chéri_?" he asked, putting his arms around my waist from behind. I tried to get them off, but Remy held fast. I felt weaker all of a sudden, like I just wanted to give up. All of these new feelings were beginning to scare me. I was seeing colors that I had never seen before, vivid magentas, deep greens, pale blues, and powerful yellows.

"I dunno… I feel like I'm betraying… Erik." I muttered. That did it. Remy's grip loosened and he spun me around to face him.

"Magneto?" he asked. I nodded. He shook his head.

"It's different with him." he said.

"That's just the thing! It _is_ different with him! But to him, it's the same, I think. To me, he's like a father. But to him, I'm… something else."

"I see where you are coming from. But forget him. Forget everyone! It's just you and me now. No Magneto, no Nightcrawler, no one. Just us." he said, turning me around again so that I was facing the window. As he toyed with the clip that was holding up my hair, the only one that had managed to stay in tact over the years, I stared at the sunlit skyline of the city in the distance. Then, I reached up and pulled his hand away. If he saw me with my hair down… it would just make everything worse than it already was.

"Nightcrawler?" I asked. "Who's that?"

"He came to visit today. That boy that you were looking at like that." he answered. "Now, no more talking about him. Close your eyes, _chéri_, and just relax."

I leaned back and sighed submissively. "Why do I trust you like this? I _hate_ you."

"That may be so, but I love you. And love triumphs over all, no?" he said softly. I smiled at the air. He placed his hand on the back of my head.

"May I?" he asked.

"Mmh hmm." I answered. In one quick motion, Remy had unclipped my hair, and it fell, tumbling down my back like an ebony waterfall. I felt him bury his face into my neck.

"You smell wonderful…" he mumbled.

"You do, too." I replied. He chuckled softly.

"I guess I'm not the first to have told you this."

"You are."

"I don't believe you." he said, walking around to face me. I frowned. He was blocking the sun.

"Is this the face of someone that would lie to you?" I asked. He smirked, and I knew why. The world was glowing in a deep magenta, and I felt a strange longing somewhere deep inside of me that I had never even known existed.

"No, it is the face of the most beautiful one of her sex."

That word again! What did it mean? Just the sound of it sent little tingles down my spine.

"Remy, what is that? Sex, I mean. I know that in this situation, you mean gender. But it has another denotation, right? Can you tell me?" I asked. He stared at me for a moment, as if trying to process what I had just said. I blinked expectantly.

"It is…" he began, "… one of the most beautiful things on earth. It is the union of two lovers, in psyche and in body. It is filled with passion and love and happiness. Those select few think that sex is a way to have fun, while others think it a ceremony, and still others think that it satisfies only the most basic of needs, or that it is an act of rebellion. However, for most people, it is the ultimate expression of love."

That got me to thinking about Erik. Why is it that he was so intent on having I avoid all forms of sex… of love? Was he afraid that I could replace him with something else? When I was living with him, he was always so overprotective of me. He never let anyone see me without going through him first. Of course Remy, being the experienced cat burglar, was the only exception. True, it had horrified me at first to know that I was away from the damn observatory, and I was still unsafe, but after a while I had warmed up to the fact that Remy, like all of the other men that hung around when Erik became Magneto, just couldn't stay away from me. I know, it makes me sound like some kind of a damsel in distress, and I hated it, but at that point, it hadn't seemed like I had a choice. Those guys, especially that ghastly Sabertooth, were always following me around like I was the only girl in the world that could look at them without trembling in fear.

Maybe Erik was in love with me.

The sudden idea struck me as strange, at first. I stepped back and turned away from where Remy was wordlessly studying me. Erik? In love with me? But the more that I thought about it, the more realistic it seemed. According to Dr. Miranda, love was an irrational feeling, a feeling of attraction that made you do things that you wouldn't normally do. It made you more vulnerable to attack, and it made you soft. She would always quote this book, _Empire_, by Orson Scott Card. According to this great conqueror, "Personal affection is a luxury you can have only after all your enemies are eliminated. Until then, everyone you love is a hostage, sapping your courage and corrupting your judgment." Was that true? Was someone that you loved a hindrance? And how would I know if I loved someone? It was in that moment that I decided that the best thing to do was to detach myself from everyone like Remy and Erik and Kurt. For them, and for me.

"Everything alright, _chéri_?" Remy asked. It was hard not to give in to that gentle voice, but I forced myself to ask how many other women he had seduced like this.

"Everything is fine, Remy. But I think it would be best if you left now. I'd like to be alone." I answered coldly, all feelings of the previous moment gone. I was completely disengaged. My sight was crisp and clear, and I could see every window in the sky scrapers that seemed a thousand miles away. When I was focused, I had sight better than that of a hawk.

Remy smiled sadly. "I understand. But I'll be back before you know it." he answered. I nodded as he climbed out the window.

"Goodbye, Remy. Don't get caught." I said.

"I won't." he answered wistfully, and swished into the shadows.

I sighed and closed the window for the first time in a week. The cold wind whistled angrily against the glass, but I refused to let it in. And, to be sure that it stayed out, I locked the window.

_Sorry, Remy. You'll just have to find another place to stay from now on_. I thought. I was too busy to worry about him now. The sun was beginning to set, heralding the end of my Saturday. What was there to do now? Of course. I had to pack. Just because I had just had my first mildly sexual experience, I wasn't going to throw the plan. Everything was moving forward, and nothing had changed. I had yet to discover that I couldn't have been more wrong. Everything had changed…

… big time.

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**Alright, so here's the deal.**

**Violetta's eyes change color depending on her mood (if you haven't gotten that already). The color that her eyes are is literally the color that she sees in. She's basically colorblind (in a sense), except for the fact that everything she seees takes on a lovely shade of yellow (if she's confused), which varies based on light and dark. It's a black and white movie, essentially, but in a different color depending on her emotion.**

**Here's a list of her feelings:**

**Red - Anger  
Orange - Hope  
Yellow - Confusion  
Green - Fear  
Blue - Sadness  
Violet - Content**

**Pink - Love  
Black - Hatred  
Grey (Murky) - Nervousness  
Grey (Clear) - Annoyance/Focus  
Brown - Disgust**

**Now mind you, these colors can be mixed together to form any color imaginable. These are just the most basic ones. So, do the math. Black+Red=... Bad news for Remy^^**

**REVIEW!**


	5. reinstitutionalized

**Note how Violet isn't exactly happy about going back into the institution... Oh well, ther's nothing bad about going back to school to learn not to kill anyone, right? Have fun, and remember to reviw once you finish!**

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chapter 5: re-institutionalized

Only two more hours until Kurt got here. I had to practice with my other powers for a bit. I held the teen magazine up in front of me.

_Let's see…_ I thought. _Will it be Schmeidi Vrum? Brangelina Jopitt? Or should I switch it up and try Mac Zefron? Oh, he's so attractive… or maybe I'll go old school and do Jackie Mike. It's just so hard to decide…_

I flipped through the pages and finally settled on a picture if Ri-Ri Hanna at the Silver Sphere Awards. I looked at myself in the mirror. I wasn't unusually tall, or unusually thin, or unusually anything. I was perfectly average… except for my eyes and my hair. Those, of course, were the parts of me that people looked at first, in any person, really. I grimaced and looked at the image of the RnB star.

This part was easy. All I had to do was absorb the essence of the photo. I focused, clearing my head of all emotions, making my vision sharp and precise. I registered every detail, every pore on her face. Of course, it was much harder to do it from a magazine. I needed the real person to be there, a person that I could touch, a person that I could _focus_ on. My hands were suddenly surrounded by a red halo, and I knew that I was ready to process the information. I placed my hands over the picture and began to sop up her persona.

After that vacuum feeling subsided, I lifted my hands and held them up to my body. This was the hardest. It wasn't very complicated at all. Actually, it was really simply. It was just emotionally difficult watching yourself transform into someone that isn't you. I pressed my eyes closed and felt the foreign energy move through my body. Then, I entered this weird half liquid/ half solid stage where my body rearranged itself to match the new DNA. It only took a millisecond, but it felt like all eternity. After my body had stopped moving around, I opened my eyes cautiously.

I would never get used to that. The person in the mirror wasn't me. She moved when I did, she blinked when I did, but she _wasn't_ _me_. I reached up and touched her – my – face in wonder. Identical clothes, identical shape… I had to wonder…

"My name is Ri-Ri Hanna." I said, and grinned. Everything was the same except for the voice. It was still the same quiet, mousy tone that I always used when I wasn't overwhelmed with some kind of emotion. But Magneto said that if I didn't know or was unsure of a certain aspect of a person, my powers wouldn't register it. Considering I was unsure of the exact way that Rihanna sounded, I kept my voice.

I strutted around my room for a moment, enjoying my stardom. But now, for the time being, I had to return to my own body. I concentrated on expelling the foreign energy. It wasn't that hard. I mean, it's not like Rihanna _wanted_ to stay inside of me. It was natural that physical characteristics wanted to stay with the person that they were attributed to. Then again… what was natural about any of this? I had to be careful about the way that I did everything, considering that if I let go for just a moment, all that pent up energy would rush out and drain all of my energy, virtually collapsing me. Trust me, it had happened. That stupid burst of light had knocked me out for an hour and a half!

"Alright. Enough already." I said after returning to my unpopular, untalented self. "I have to take a shower and do my hair. No more fooling around."

I dropped the magazine onto my bed and began to take my nightclothes off. I carefully folded them on my bed. It may have been two in the afternoon, but I wasn't going to waste a perfectly good set of clothes when I wasn't clean yet.

I walked into the bathroom and stared at the floor tiles for a moment. They were a pearly white, just like the ceramic of the bathtub. I turned the shiny, chrome handle and watched the water splash into a puddle. In a way, I realized, everyone was like this water. Fresh out of the faucet, they were freezing cold. But after a while, they warmed up until they were the perfect temperature. I pulled up the channel blocker and heard the water rushing up to the shower head. It rained down, flooding the room with steam. I carefully tested the temperature with my arm and, after deeming it not too hot and not too cold, I stepped in.

There's always this rush when you step into the shower, when you try something new. It's that feeling you get when you go from being dry to being covered in water that flows down your body, enveloping you in its warm, humid embrace. Little children go a week without because they are too young to enjoy the pleasure of a hot shower. Every time a droplet hit my skin, I felt like I had everything I needed right there, in that tiny white room.

I sighed deeply as the hot water flooded my face. It ran through my scalp and down my hair until it finally hit the floor of the bathtub. I had painted my toes that morning, and now the incandescent blue glared against the white. I pulled all of my hair over one shoulder and dumped shampoo on it. This was probably the most tiresome part of showering. If anything was to be done first, it had to be my hair.

I rubbed and lathered and scrubbed furiously until I was fully certain that I was clean. No speck of dirt would embarrass me in front of Kurt. I would be as sweet-smelling as meadow grass on a sweet, Nankillus morning in the spring. I turned off the water and grasped my hair with both hands, wringing it out until it was ready for blow-drying.

Forty minutes and half a gallon of hair cream later, I had finally managed to braid it into a halfway decent French Braid. Now, I had an hour to pick out an outfit, get dressed, do my make-up and create a perfect combination of natural scents. That was a lot for only an hour.

The outfit part turned out easy. I had picked out a loose-fitting, light-blue blouse and a pair of black dress pants. I wore a black belt around my waist so that the shirt tightened around my midsection, billowing out around my hips. I had fat, black fashion bangles over my wrist and matching black earrings. The effect was overall elegant, but with a playful, running-through-the-country-grass kind of touch. For my shoes, I had chosen a pair of light blue imitation-leather ankle boots with black wedge heels.

Half and hour later, I had done my make-up to the best of my extent, leaving me just enough time to make my bed and grab a bite to eat before I had to leave. Just as I was swallowing the last bit of leftovers in the fridge, my doorbell rang. I hastily threw the container in the sink and ran to open the door. Kurt stood there, waving innocently. Everything was purple, matching my happiness.

"Hi, Kurt." I said, perhaps a bit too exuberantly. He didn't seem to notice.

"Hey, Violet. Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded and ran to get my bag out of my room. When I trotted back, Kurt gave me a funny look.

"What?" I asked. Did I have something in my teeth?

"That's all you're taking with you?" he asked. I glanced down at the red duffel bag that I had bought from a street vendor the previous day.

"Yeah, pretty much." I answered. I grabbed my keys and locked the door as I exited.

"Home, sweet home." I said.

"Not anymore!" Kurt replied, and we laughed. There was suddenly an awkward silence that last all the way into the elevator. On the third floor, an elderly woman got on. She looked at us and gave a knowing smile that made me shift uncomfortably. Did she think that we were together? Kurt scratched his head sheepishly. Finally, the bell rang, announcing the lobby. We walked outside and I saw a taxi waiting.

"A taxi. Very elegant." I commented. Kurt laughed.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Almost like in one of those movies from the fifties." I answered, nodding. "The protagonist goes into the luxurious apartment building where his beautiful lady love is waiting in a black minx shawl and high heels. In one dramatic scene, he sweeps her into a taxicab to escape impending doom."

"Like what?" Kurt asked, scooting into the seat next to me.

I shrugged. "I dunno. War, the Russian Mob, an ex-boyfriend…?" We laughed again. Being with him made I so easy to forget the plan. The plan to destroy the X-men. But I couldn't reveal my knowledge of it just yet. I had to play with them a bit more before I could set my plan into motion. Magneto had told me that all I had to do was try to distract the X-men. He had said that it wouldn't be so hard for me because I was smart and beautiful at the same time, and that a combination of the two made any woman deadly. Next, I had to try and crack Deafcon 4. Disabling the defense system would make the Institute vulnerable for attack, which is exactly what Magneto needed. Finally, and most importantly, when the time of attack came, I had to hide. Why? Simply because I had to bend the minds of the enemy so that taking them down would be easy as pie, without them noticing that I'm even there. Magneto said that he didn't care how I accomplished it, as long as I got the job done without killing anyone. Easy enough, right? I had even figured out who I was going to target first. And I was looking right at him.

"So, Kurt." I began. "What's this dance that everyone's talking about?"

"Oh, it's just this little thing that everyone's going to." he answered.

"Are you going? You know… just out of curiosity." I said coolly.

"Yeah. I wanna go with India." he answered. I laughed.

"Not you, too!" he retorted.

"Sorry, but isn't she the most popular girl in school? Every guy's probably on her…" That sentence gave me an idea. An idea on how to get to Kurt. Of course! It may have been low brow, but I knew that the biggest, and probably most vulnerable thing about him was his heart.

"So what? I still have chances!" he replied. I nodded in agreement and we began to chat about the ethics of a school dance and how we had no idea what they were.

After about twenty minutes, the taxi held near the outskirts of the city. The large, iron gate loomed over me ominously. We got out and Kurt helped me with my bag.

"_This _is where you live?" I asked incredulously. The gigantic mansion stood like a fort in the middle of a lavish estate. Statues were all over the place. We walked up the winding path that led to the entrance. I recognized a few kids from school standing on the dead, brown lawn and talking amongst themselves.

"Wait… so you're all mutants here?" I asked, staring at the familiar faces. I still couldn't believe that all these people were just like me.

"Yup. That's the only kind of people that come in here." Kurt answered happily. "Since we're not really wanted anywhere else, this is where we go until we've learned to deal with our powers. But… you already knew that."

"I guess so." I replied. We walked into the enormous establishment. The lobby was enormous, with full-length windows illuminating the space. A bay window that gave full view of the front lawn decorated the front.

I was immediately greeted by the girl with the ponytail.

"Hi, Violet! Remember me? I'm Kitty." she said, shaking my hand.

"Oh yeah! You're the girl that walks through walls, right? Kurt told me about you." I said, much to her chagrin. She grimaced.

"You'll learn not to listen to what he says." she muttered and walked away.

"She loves me." Kurt insisted after she was out of earshot.

"I'm sure." I answered sarcastically. I saw the pretty, red haired girl approach us.

"Hello, Violet. My name's Jean." the redhead said. I smiled. Suddenly, a football whizzed by my ear, followed by a blond guy that seemed about my age.

"Oh, sorry." he said politely. "My name's Bobby, by the way." I nodded. Someone tapped my shoulder and I turned around. Standing there was a huge, blue man that seemed twice my size.

"Hello, Violetta. My name is Hank." he said. I took his hand.

"Is everyone in the lobby today or what?" I asked.

"Well, it's almost dinnertime, so I'm assuming that everyone is gathering in the dining room soon." he answered.

"Dining room? No way! We're taking Violet out tonight." someone said behind me. I turned again. It was Scott.

"Out?" I asked, totally speechless. "But… I can't go out! It's Sunday, and –"

"And?" he asked, smiling. "It's a three day weekend, remember? Or are you religiously inclined?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that, well… I can't go out! What about my eyes? People will freak!" I argued.

"Why do you think I wear shades all the time?" he asked. "C'mon! you look ready for a night out."

I blushed. Why was he being so nice to me? We barely even knew each other! Besides, I was way younger than he was. I guess he felt bad for attacking me.

"Oh… alright." I said finally. "I'll go."

"Cool! It's an old-time hangout where we always go when something special happens. I'll just get everyone together and we can go!"

I smiled hesitantly. This was all happening way too quickly. I was ushered through long, elaborate hallways to my room, where I almost fell over from shock. It was enormous! This entire thing was about the size of my living room, dining room, and kitchen combined! But Kitty gave me no time to marvel at the luxury. I had a few seconds to throw down my things, grab a pair of XXL sunglasses, and rush back out the door. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. Actually, it might prove to be very enriching. This may be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really get to know the people that I will eventually have to fight against, in an environment that wasn't controlled by Professor Xavier, or any other authority, while potentially having fun!

I couldn't let my fear of reentering an institution stop me from being as casual as I possibly could be. After all, this was nothing like the Observatory that Erik had rescued me from, even though they were both meant for scientific and sociologic purposes. It was strange, how two people's ideas for what was good for the world in regard to mutants could be so different. And how I was about to witness both of them.

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**Aww, isn't that just the cutest thing? Anyways, I think that they'll work out... then again, who knows what devious plan Violet has to get to Kurt during the dance... oop, I said too much!**

**REVIEW!**

**~Sweep**


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